It may seem like an odd coupling, but St-Germain (an elderflower liqueur) and Cynar (a bitter artichoke amaro) play surprisingly well together, especially in tiki-style drinks. It’s a combination that New York bartender Jeremy Oertel uses in his playfully-titled “Artichoke Hold” at Brooklyn cocktail bar Donna. “This cocktail is actually a play on a play,” he says. “I did a cocktail called the Bitter Mai Tai, and this is its relative.” The warm funk of Smith & Cross creates a heavy base for the bittersweet co-mingling of amaro and elderflower.
Artichoke Hold
Jeremy Oertel, Donna | Brooklyn, NY

Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 3/4 ounce Jamaican rum (preferably Smith & Cross)
- 3/4 ounce Cynar
- 1/2 ounce St. Germain elderflower liqueur
- 3/4 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce orgeat
Garnish: mint sprig
Directions
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
- Add a small amount of ice and shake lightly.
- Strain over crushed ice into a rocks glass.
- Top with more crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig.